It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This movie is a piece of art. It tugs at your emotions and empathy. The pain of Chand, the main character, is felt as you watch her endless tribulations and abuse in the home of her new in-laws. The end of the film also plays and flirts with Indian folklore and symbolism which makes the ending mysterious. It's clear that there are several mixed reviews, however those who dislike the film most likely don't understand the culture and folklore played into the films inspiring ending.

Theme of the movie is presented very well. Deepa mehta did a great job. Whole movie goes wonderfully until climax. Climax is totally unpredictable and little boring. All actors did fine work especially preity zinta. I never expected such a good movie from preity zinta. Cinematography is presented in a very good manner. Absolutely worth watching movie. You will find the characters close to someone you know. You will love the movie as it goes forward and probably won't want to left the chair you are sitting on.Language (punjabi) is quiet hard to understand as i am a pakistani myself. I never expected such a good movie from preity zinta.

A HEAVEN ON EARTH, (Bollywood) Viewed at Florence Indian Film Festival, River to River, Dec. 2010Declared the Best Feature in the week's competition was Deepa Mehta's latest offering "A Heaven on Earth" , a more appropriate title for which would have been "An Absolute Hell On Earth". Deepa, a Canada based offshore Indian filmmaker, has been turning out critically acclaimed award winning Indian films since 1991, but this story of a beautiful mail-order Indian bride who comes to Toronto to marry a despicable Punjabi psychotic named Rocky, and is subjected to nothing but brutal abuse by both him and his hateful mother, is arguably her worst film ever. A magic love potion, given the hapless bride by a black Jamaican co-worker to change her husband's attitude, brings on (apparently) some sort of hallucinatory encounter with Rocky, who now inexplicably loves her tenderly. But the "old Rocky" sees this hallucination (or whatever it was) as a marital betrayal, and the poor girl is subjected to the good old Cobra Test to prove her fidelity. It so happens that a healthy Indian Cobra lives in their Canadian back yard and she has to reach into its nest and grab it, to prove the purity of intentions -- if the snake doesn't kill her outright she will be accepted back into the fold to resume her role as the family punching bag.The only saving grace of this study in sadism, mixed with ridiculous metaphysics, is a gripping performance by one of Bollywood's prettiest leading ladies, Preity Zinta, in an uncharacteristically somber role, but looking prettier than ever. The selection of this horrid piece of domestic depredation as "Best film of the week" can only indicate that the selection committee must have been dominated by a team of hard-core Italian masochists. Earlier I said this was "one to watch for". Having now watched it dutifully, I would have to revise that and say this is one to avoid like the plague.ALEXFARBA FILM WEBSITE: http://www.alexfarbafilm.com

It's hard to describe Heaven on Earth in one word or one sentence, and it's even more complicated to explain what it is about in one sentence. It has many aspects of our modern life which are touched so realistically and brilliantly by Deepa Mehta that few words could not describe them well enough. People mistakenly think the film is about domestic abuse, but it's far from being just about that. It is about immigration, the hardship of people who immigrate from one country to another, from one culture to another, from a difficult world to a world that is even worse. It is about isolation, loneliness and the pain of being far from your family. It is about the terrible consequences of arranged marriages. And of course, domestic violence, which is the main aspect that carries the narrative forward.All these elements are thrown upon the main protagonist of this picture, Chand. A vibrant and lovely girl, she flies to Canada to marry a man she has never met. Ironaically enough, while people expect to see a brighter, better life for a person who immigrates from India to Canada, we discover that Chand's new family lives a poor, miserable lifestyle. The members of the family include seven people, all of whom live in a two-bedroom house. The striking portrayal of life of immigrants in the suburbs of Toronto is realistic and precise. Soon Chand becomes a brutally battered and abused wife who bears the brunt of her husband, Rocky's frustration. These scenes are just terrible to watch. Rocky is cruel and carefree when he beats her, and Chand is full of pain and fear. It's very easy to hate Rocky, but the fact is that he is also a victim of the circumstances, of all the responsibility thrown at him.Preity Zinta's Chand is a wonderful and very well-written character. While it represents all the women-immigrants, all the abused women who are aware of domestic violence being a common part of their culture, it's great to see that in such a world there can be a woman who is so optimistic and positive. She suffers, she aches, she misses her mother, her country, she is desperate of thinking that she will have to live the rest of her life with a bunch of monsters, yet she never really loses her sense of life. She does not blame anyone, she does not hate anyone, she turns her difficulties into strengths, she turns her fears into valours by using her imagination. She creates a world that is better, and lives it. She creates a "Heaven on Earth".Deepa Mehta intelligently displays magical realism in a rather extremist way. Every time Chand is maltreated by her husband, she starts reciting in a whisper beautiful poetic monologues, which efficiently illustrate her loneliness and yearning to see her mother and get back home. When she's alone, she imagines a better life where she is a beloved woman and wife, escaping the cruel reality but little knowing that it's surreal. I must note the scenes which turned black and white deliberately, which are symbolic of the film's meaning. All the sequences involving the snake may be confusing and unclear, but what I find great about them is that every viewer is free to interpret them just the way they want to. Here "the power of the imagination" (which could be an equally suitable title for the film) gets a double-meaning. The audience is given an opportunity to experience the same kind of confusion that Chand herself goes through.Preity Zinta, in one of the finest performances of her career, is nothing short of spectacular as the struggling Chand. Heartfelt, nuanced, haunting and heartbreaking, this portrayal does not have a single false note. This role is contrary to Zinta's own image of a strong woman of substance, as well as most of her on-screen roles. And she pulls it so convincingly that it's almost impossible to believe it is the same woman who played so many happy-go-lucky characters in previous years. She displays helplessness, fear, despair, and at the same time a certain hope for a better day, with amazing subtlety, depth and pathos. Much of it is internal actually, and all you need to know is in her eyes. Just note the scene when she is looking through the bus window. There's so much pain in her eyes. It's just one bit of a really great performance. All the other cast members do a fine job and provide great support.Overall, Heaven on Earth is an extraordinary, deep and intelligent piece, with a view on the social values of today's world. Mehta's presentation of the issue is correct, it's not one-sided and not biased. There are no bad or good people in this film. The characters in this film are all victims of the society. I loved this concept, I appreciated the well-written dialogues, the realistic and unexpected proceedings. The film is brilliantly directed and edited. It is definitely not for everyone, it is not particularly entertaining and many may consider it slow and tedious. It is only for those who can go through a difficult sight, flow with the story, and understand its meaning. I tried to do it, and I personally consider it a great social film with a very meaningful message, as well as a wonderful glimpse into a person's mind, who can be full of optimism and positivity despite the sad reality.